Week 5 of our Cannes Contenders Showcase includes work from our offices in Helsinki, Puerto Rico, New York, Sydney, Perth and Buenos Aires.
Show your support by sharing your favorite pieces on social media with the hashtag #JWTCannes.
RAY, “Humane News” – Mirum Helsinki
For every negative news item there are hundreds of positive news items that are equally deserving of making headlines. With “Inhimillisiä Uutisia,” or “Humane News,” Mirum Helsinki and RAY, a gaming company that provides funding to over 800 nonprofit organizations, gave good news the spotlight it needs. Humane News is an innovative alternative media platform exclusively for positive news. RAY collaborated with public figures, social influencers and top journalists to launch a pop-up newsroom in Helsinki where they selected news about the positive impact NPOs were having on the world, and crafted them into human news features. People were magnetized by this positivity. The site garnered more than 200,000 unique readers and boasted an unforeseen engagement rate of 163%. What was supposed to be a two-week campaign for RAY became a permanent media site for the client, which means that NPOs looking to spotlight their efforts and readers looking for the silver lining in cloudy skies now have a platform to turn to whenever they need.
View “Humane News” here. Read more about the campaign on the blog.
Rums of Puerto Rico, “450 Years of Rum” – J. Walter Thompson Puerto Rico
2014 marked 450 years of the rum industry’s history in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican rum is older than many of history’s greatest milestones. So Rums of Puerto Rico and J. Walter Thompson San Juan decided to take advantage of this incredible fact by partnering with the History Network to create “Rum Times.” A series of webisodes featured on history.com, “Rum Times” explores some of the greatest accomplishments in world history, but through the eyes of Puerto Rican rum. In addition to developing the strategy, creative concept, webisode scripts and website design for therumtimes.com, J. Walter Thompson San Juan also focused on digital media efforts for major rum consumer markets in the U.S., including the states of Florida, California, New York, Texas and Illinois.
View “450 Years of Rum” here. Read more about the campaign on the blog.
NAMI-NYC Metro, “#IWILLLISTEN Album” – J. Walter Thompson New York
Mental illness is the most stigmatized condition in the United States, and 1 in 5 Americans will experience a mental health disorder in any given year. In order to enact real social change and break down the stigma associated with mental illness, the National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City (NAMI-NYC Metro) has empowered people through a campaign with three simple words – I WILL LISTEN. On Oct.10, 2014, World Mental Health Day, NAMI-NYC Metro launched the next step in its #IWILLLISTEN awareness campaign with the release of the #IWILLLISTEN album. Partnering with New York-based bands and artists, the album is comprised of songs penned by each artist for #IWILLLISTEN about their experiences either directly or indirectly with mental illness. The album was also made available for free download, and those who downloaded the album could also make the pledge to listen and make a donation to NAMI-NYC Metro.
View “#IWILLLISTEN Album” here. Read more about the campaign on the blog.
RAC, “What are the chances?: Sickie/Nuns” – J. Walter Thompson Australia
To remind drivers that breakdowns can happen anywhere at any time, even under the most unlikely circumstances, J. Walter Thompson Perth and J. Walter Thompson Sydney set the scene for several cringe-worthy moments: In “Nuns” a group of friends dressed as scantily clad nuns for a wild night on the town break down in front of actual nuns, and in “Sickie,” a man who has called in sick so he can go surfing breaks down right in front of his boss. What are the chances? Pretty high, actually. RAC Roadside Assist, Western Australia’s largest roadside assistance provider, rescues someone every minute. This tongue-in-cheek campaign aims to reinforce awareness that they’re always on hand to help.
View “Sickie” and “Nuns” here. Read more about the campaign on the blog.
Savant, “Painful: Record Store/Repair Shop/ Theatre” – J. Walter Thompson Buenos Aires
There are lots of painful or uncomfortable conversations you have to have throughout life, but none of them, according to J. Walter Thompson Argentina’s campaign for the launch of Savant’s new Buenafuente throat soothers, are more painful or difficult than a sore throat.
View “Painful” here.
Master An Driving Service, “Flipping Coaster” – J. Walter Thompson Beijing
In China, more than 17,000 traffic accidents happen every month, 50% of them caused by drunk driving. This alarming statistic inspired J. Walter Thompson Beijing to design a unique beer coaster to help drinkers understand the consequences of drunk driving. The front of the coaster featured an image of a luxurious car, but when the glass of beer was lifted, the coaster automatically flipped on the bar counter, revealing an image of the same vehicle overturned and badly damaged. Also on the back of the coaster, drinkers could find a QR code that connected them to a designated driver service.
View “Flipping coaster” here.
